Evolution

To many people the relationship between science and religion
is epitomized by the clash over evolution. Over the past two decades
America has seen a significant rise in the number of Christian
"creationists" who believe the biblical story of creation
must be taken literally, and that the universe was therefore created
in six days just over six thousand years ago. But although there
are some Christians who insist on taking the Genesis account literally,
the majority of Christian believers understand this story metaphorically.
Recently, the Vatican Observatory in conjunction with the Berkeley-based
Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences held a conference
on the issue of evolution to which they invited theologians, philosophers,
and scientists from around the world. Here, Christian participants
overwhelming agreed that evolution was not in conflict with Christian
faith, and that on the contrary it could be seen as the way in
which God goes about being creative within the world. For these
believers, an understanding of the processes of evolution could
indeed enhance their faith.

The controversy over biological evolution
began in 1859 when Charles Darwin published his monumental book
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection".
Darwin's book suggested that instead of being specially created
by God, humans were the product of biological evolution. As he
later wrote: "Man is descended from a hairy quadruped, furnished
with a tail and pointed ears, probably arboreal in its habits."
Many religious believers in the nineteenth century felt that Darwinian
evolution had robbed humanity of its dignity, for how could humans
be created in the image of God if we were the descendants of apes?
Faced with this dilemma, they rebelled against Darwin's theory.
Yet even in the nineteenth century there were many theologians
and ministers - both Catholic and Protestant - who did not see
a conflict between their faith and Darwin's science. These more
liberal thinkers often went to great lengths to convince the public
that evolution could be harmonized with traditional religious
views and values.

Today a new generation of Christian thinkers is again stressing
that an evolutionary perspective is compatible with their faith.
A leading voice in this debate is the Oxford University biochemist
Arthur Peacocke. Peacocke, who is now also an ordained minister
in the Anglican Church, believes that evolution can even enhance
understanding of the Judeo-Christian God. Whereas biblical literalists
insist that creation was a once only event that happened at the
beginning of time, Peacocke notes that evolution is compatible
with the Christian idea of creatio continua, the notion that God
is continuously creating. As he explains: "Whatever we meant
by God being creator, it wasn't something that God did once in
the past, and then walked off ... It's something that's going
on all the time."

The point here is not that one must see God in the process
of evolution, but rather that there is nothing inherently incompatible
between an evolutionary view of life and a commitment to the Christian
scriptures.